Sermon Illustrations

It sounds like a story someone made up, but the story is true. In 1890 in the Australian Supreme Court a witness testified that he saw a lady fall in the street. But he testified that he did not help her because they had not been properly introduced! Victorian manners cannot have been that strict! You and I have been "introduced"...

A Canadian television station put together an eye catching promotion in an effort to attract more viewers. They showed several news clips with the wrong dialogue. Then a man said, "We don't make the news. We make up the news!" Preachers and teachers do not make up the Good News. It was revealed by God, exhibited in...

While most flowers bloom only in the day, some bloom only at night. The night blooming Cereus is the most well known example. The flower called Four O'clock opens in the late afternoon. Moon flowers unfold at dusk and close with the first rays of the morning sun. But Lilies remain open night and day. Is this the reason the lily has...

On the twelfth of September 1683, the Turkish army was finally turned away from the city of Vienna. Among the things they left behind were the cannons with which they had bombarded the city through the long siege. The people of Vienna decided that those cannons could be put to a better use. So they melted them down and...

In Java a unique wedding custom is observed. The day before the wedding the bride calls in all of her close friends. In their presence she burns her dolls, toys and other cherished tokens of her childhood. Then her friends console her in the loss of these mementos by giving her many presents -- new objects identified with...

Many people in Ghana, Africa are very devout. They express it in the names they give to their business enterprises. There is a Hail Mary Plumbing Shop. You can to go to the I Love Jesus Dry Cleaner. You can refuel your car at the God is Great Gas Station. Personal names also reflect this unusual custom. One American visitor said...

The May/June issue of Worth magazine carried a story about an exclusive community on New York City's upper East side. You would need an income of over one million dollars a year just to live there. The people who do, give an average of $ 11,000 a year to charity. That's one percent of their income. The article noted that...

Several months ago a tornado struck the small town of Piedmont, Alabama. Twenty people were killed. Most of them were inside the Goshen United Methodist Church at the time. Among those killed was the daughter of the pastor. Later, The pastor was interviewed by television news reporters. She said, "Having your faith...

Christmas has not always been celebrated on December 25. For centuries the Eastern Orthodox Church observed January 6 as the celebration of the birth of Christ. Eventually most of the world adopted December 25, but there are still areas in eastern Europe and the Middle East where January 6 is Christmas. This was known...